The Witch in the Fireplace
by Esyla Tate
Summary: What if Hermione was also visited by a certain Doctor throughout her childhood? Harry Potter/Doctor Who crossover. Read and Review, more to come possibly.
1. Chapter 1

**AN:**

**I'll keep it simple:**

**Read, review, enjoy!**

**~E.T.**

**Disclaimer: I got this idea from a bit of art I saw, so I don't really own the idea...**

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She didn't see why the other kids wanted to go outside and play, or even why they wanted someone to play with.  
Five year old Hermione Granger was perfectly content with sitting and playing by herself while her parents cooked or discussed the simple profession of dentistry. The simple life was simply splendid and she had no complaints. She sat and even learned to read long before the other children, who were much to busy with their simple-minded games. Hermione Granger, on the other hand, had much more to do. Indeed, Hermione was much to complex for them, whether they liked her or not (which they did not.) They said she was much to strange, but in reality, they were all much to ordinary.  
Despite her unpopularity with the simpleminded children, Hermione Granger was not friendless. Her mysterious fireplace man would do just marvelously for her.  
She received her first visit when she was three, but then of course, because of her age and sleepy state, she had dismissed the encounter as a beautiful, lucid dream. It wasn't until her second meeting with the strange man did she realize she had not dreamt him up the first time.  
Fireplace man had only visited twice now, and it all seemed as if by accident for he never stayed long. Of course, he stayed much longer in her mind as a friend. What better imaginary friend a young girl to create than a mysterious man who accidentally launched through your fireplace? Hermione played with her fireplace man everyday for years as a child and she grew and grew.  
The girl's bond with her imaginary friend lackened as she aged further. Reason took over imagination and the girl became extremely wise in all sense's of the word. She studied hard and had no more time to play hard, though her friend remained with in the back of her mind somewhere.  
One day, the memory of her old friend was thrown upon her just days before her eleventh birthday. This birthday, she had in particular been excited for because, well, double one's. 11. That's just cool.  
So it was that time of anticipation for those "double one's" that her fireplace man returned to her. But he did not emerge from her brain like all the times before. Oh, no. Fireplace man returned to her, body and soul; a little more tangibly than she was used to. He was not the imaginary man that she had grown with, but the real deal that visited all to scarcely.  
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.  
Eleven O'clock, four days to her birthday.  
The quiet bedroom stacked with books was still, the bushy-haired girl sound asleep on her bed, unaware of the sought after adventure coming towards her at full speed-at the full speed of a certain blue telephone box, to be exact. The clock ticked reliably on her bookshelf and she snored melodiously with it in a wonderful chorus of calm.  
A calm that was all to perfect for him. How could he resist, even if it had not been his choice to land in that certain girl's bedroom that late night.  
And with a loud crash, he entered the peaceful scene, disrupting it the way he was known to.  
She startled awake, shocked to see a large blue box smashed into one of her many book shelves.  
"Hermione!" A man flung open one of the doors and poked his head through, "Good, your awake. Let's get started."  
She stared at him in awe-it was the mysterious man from fireplace. Her friend, though he certainly did not know how close of friends they were in her mind for he was thoroughly surprised when she flew into him in a great hug.  
"That's the spirit. Now-to figure out why the TARDIS has brought me here yet again." The first time the man visited, he had flown through the fireplace solo, but the second time the blue box had brought him to her, and he had been just as confused as she had been.  
"Something keeps bringing me here. It must be important." He looked at Hermione as if noticing her for the first time "Hermione! You've gotten old! How old are you know? Forty? Forty-five? You don't look a day over fifty, I promise."  
She laughed, "Almost eleven."  
"Eleven? I was so sure." he smiled. "Now, what is it about this place that the TARDIS seems to love? Is there a rift?" He pulled out a metallic looking pen-thing and clicked it so it glowed blue and whirred. "No. No energy source either." he pranced around the room energetically, scanning random things. "Hermione, is this the same house?" he said, just now noticing the difference in scene.  
"No, we moved two years ago."  
"Interesting. So it has nothing to do with the house or location. What could it be Hermio-Oh."  
"What?" she said looking excited, an adventure! a mystery!  
"Oh. oh OH. Obvious."  
"What?!"  
"Hermione,"  
"Yes?"  
"Hermione..."  
"What!?"  
"No, no no. You, Hermione. It's obvious. I always show up to you" he turned back to the blue box her referred to as the TARDIS and smiled. "So what is it?"  
"Me?" she said quietly,  
"Yes, you. Oh! You! AH!" he jumped up and ran at her, clicking on his screwdriver-thing and scanning it over her. "Ah, i see."  
"See what?"  
"I can see it, the TARDIS sees it, though no one else does."  
"See what, fireplace man?" she asked  
"It's the Doctor," he said with a smile, "and I see it."  
"See what!"  
"Magic." He smiled wider  
"Magic?" she breathed, "But there's no such thing! All that makes sense is Science, Maths, and all the other things in books."  
"Magic is in books."  
"In fiction."  
"Who says it's fiction? What makes fiction fiction? Because they don't know it? They haven't lived it? I be there are people who would say your life is fiction because they have never lived it."  
She stared at him in awe. "Who are you?"  
He smiled "The Doctor. and I see the magic in you. Maybe you should throw out the reason and see it too. I never trust reason."  
"Reason is all that makes sense."  
"Then it's time to get a new perspective." he took her hand and pulled her a few steps into the TARDIS.  
What her eyes told her she was seeing contradicted what reason told her. It was madness.  
It was bigger... bigger on the inside. Unbelievable.  
"It's..." she began  
"Bigger on the inside?" he finished smiling, "They always say that."  
"Witchcraft."  
He laughed and she evaluated him "You'll understand later." He sighed, "I love time travel."  
"Time travel?! You're insane!"  
"I prefer mad. I can show you if you like. As long as you throw out reason. Deal?" he held out his hand for her to take.  
She looked at his palm for quite a while until she grabbed it and spoke.  
"Deal."


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Note:**

**Thank you so much for all the great reviews! I've meaning to update sooner but- the holidays, you know? **

**Don't be angry for the wait, and here you go- The Witch in the Fireplace.**

**~E.T.**

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Hermione Granger was anything but ordinary, or so her mysterious fireplace man, also known as The Doctor, often told her. She had that bit of magic in her that so many people lacked, and what was most extraordinary about it was that there was not a drop of that magical blood in her parents veins.  
Hermione Granger was a miracle.

Aged 13, Hermione was entering her third year at Hogwarts, and she had not heard from The Doctor since that time he showed her just what his TARDIS could do. He had brought her to the future, and claimed that what he showed her was her future life. She could not believe it, for what he showed her did not make sense; _scientifically _anyways. She saw herself performing magic in an enchanted castle, and was for certain that what he showed her was not future, but that he was showing her a fictional story.  
How daft she was.

She sat in her bedroom, studying of course, smiling as she read about Hogwarts some more. How she loved her new life, the capability to do anything with the flick of her wand, her new friends, and of course-a place where she was no longer a freak. She loved Hogwarts with all her heart, but she simply had no idea how she would be able to fit all the courses she wanted to take into one year.

She sat, reading further into _Hogwarts: A History,_ until a whooshing sound filled the room. The TARDIS began to flash into tangibility, a wind blowing papers around the room. Hermione smiled wider: Another adventure with her Doctor was surely in order.

The door swung open, and out came the tall Doctor, his hair wild and eyes even wilder in excitement.

"Aha, I did get the right time period. Or so I think. Hermione, how old are you?"

She smiled, "Why I'm thirteen, my Doctor."

"Ah, Thirteen, what a lovely age to be. 'My Doctor' you say? How possessively sweet." He grinned, "So how have you been since we last left off? Three years, am I correct.?"

"Yes, Three years," she sighed, "Three years! You could at least write, you know."

"Oh, but where's the mystery in that?"

"Indeed, _where._" she replied curtly, eying him down, slightly agitated.

"Ah, Hermione, don't be mad. It's a busy life being the last Time Lord." She looked at him simply.

"I missed you."

"You barely know me, how could you miss me?" he said without thinking. "'Mione, I'm sorry," she turned away from him gruffly. "That's not what I meant. What I meant was: Was my last encounter with you so memorable that you feel as if you know me?"

She smiled at him, "Yes."

He grinned back, "Good." he walked towards her, picking up the book she had just been reading. "_Hogwarts: A History. _How is old Hoggy-warts?"

She sighed, thinking of her beloved school. "Just wonderful! The classes are amazing-there's so much to learn! And the people are great-they're all like me! We're all freaks there! I've even made friends! Ron and Harry, Ginny, Neville, oh so many wonderful people! And learning how to control my magic is simply marvelous! It's great, I only wish it wasn't so far from home."

"Do you miss your parents?"

"Yes... and..."

"And?"

"Well, it seems you only know how to fly that thing here so..." She joked, avoiding his glance

"The TARDIS can reach all of time and space."

"So why not Hogwarts?"

"I can't interfere this much," he said standing up, walking away ashamed, "I shouldn't even be here."

"Why not?"

"I usually don't dwell on one thing for too long, I like to move on."

"So why are you here?"

"Why _am _I here?" he said, more to himself. "I don;t know why but i keep feeling myself being drawn here-to you."

"Why me?" she said, looking down.

He glided towards her and took her face in his hands, "You still don;t see. After finding your magic, you still don't see the magic in you."

"I know I have magic." she said grumpily "I can do magic.

"No, no no. Yes, you can do magic, but you still don't see. You are magic. You are beautiful and individual and there is no one just like you. It's magic."

She looked away from his face finally. "I may 'be magic' but I'm never going to figure out how to fit my classes in this year." she said with a laugh, changing the subject.

He sighed, taking the hint. He smiled and sat down next to her, "You could always request a time turner."

"Time _what_?" she said impressed

"A Time Turner... so you can go back in time and go to multiple classes..."

"That's genius!" she gave him a quick hug then ran to her desk, "I'll write to Professor McGonangal right now!"

He smiled, getting up. "Glad I can help. I have to go now, Hermione."

She stopped writing abruptly, looking up at him with a disapproving look. "Why?"

He smiled, walking towards her. He pulled her into a tight hug, "I'll visit again soon, I promise."

And with that, he disappeared into his TARDIS and took off.

_Soon, _She thought. _Soon is good. But, When _is _soon?_


End file.
